New Kipon FE lenses reviewed at SonyAlphaBlog

Marc Alhadeff tested four of the new kipo Full Frame and manual focusing E-mount lenses:

Kipon Iberit 24mm F2.4 (review here, order at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK):

The Kipon Iberit 24mm F2.4 (350$) is a little bit disappointing : quality issues (decentering) and soft corners are an issue below F5.6.
For a wide angle you will often use it for landscape or street photography and you will need to close to F8-F11 to get good results
On the opposite side you still get the very good color rendition, soft blurry background and excellent sharpness in the centre, so good to be used at F2.4 for small groups or portraits shoot
Consider it as the natural complement to all other Iberit lenses for excellent portraits but not as a generalist 24mm

Kipon Iberit 35mm F2.4 (review here, order at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK):

The Kipon Iberit 35mm F2.4 (375$) is a really nice 35 for street photographe and portrait
Like all other Ibertit his strong points are its centre sharpness, its very good color rendition and background blur which makes it ideal for portrait
The Aperture of 2.4 may seems modest but I prefer a very good F2.4 than an average F1.8

Kipon Iberit 50mm F2.4 (review here, order at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK):

The Kipon Iberit 50mm F2.4 (325$) is a very good 50mm portrait/street photography lens but not necessary a universal 50mm
The Aperture of 2.4 may seems modest but I prefer a very good F2.4 than an average F1.8

Kipon Iberit 75mm F2.4 (review here, order at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK):

The Kipon Iberit 75mm F2.4 is a real gem and a fantastic manual lens for the price (300$)
It is a excellent for portrait and there is currently no other 75mm For Sony E mount
The Aperture of 2.4 may seems modest but I prefer a very good F2.4 than an average F1.8

New Voigtlander 110mm FE reviews by Marc Alhadeff, Fred Miranda and Photographyblog

Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 FE lens is in Stock for the first time at BHphoto.

Marc Alhadeff writes:

We retain exceptional sharpness of the 65mm but we add a better focal length for macro and a 1:1 ratio
The lens can easily compete with the Sony 90mm F2.8 macro G OSS (1100 euros) and does even a little bit better in term of sharpness.
For real macro where you are anyway in manual focus its focusing ring is more precise than the Sony thanks to its 360° rotation from 70cm to 35cm
The lens is also very good at portraits with beautiful blurry background but the lens is maybe too sharp for portraits

Fred Miranda writes:

The highly anticipated Voigtlander 110/2.5 APO Macro-Lanthar hits the market, and scores a win.
After putting the apochromatic telephoto (capable of 1:1 macro) under great scrutiny, it delivered exceptional macro performance while maintaining IQ at all distances. At infinity and f/4, it’s even slightly better than the Batis 135/2.8 APO – which is one of the top Sony E-mount lenses.
The 110/2.5 APO is a great all rounder. The lack of color aberration, high resolution/contrast and telephoto focal length, make it a solid option for macro, portraits and landscapes.

Photographyblog reviewed the lens and writes:

The Voigtlander 110mm F2.5 Macro APO Lanthar is a stunningly sharp macro lens that offers true 1:1 magnification and a useful working distance from your subject. Boasting the same stellar build quality that we’ve come to expect from recent Voigtlander lenses, this new optic is a real gem.

First review of the new Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 FE lens

Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon ES, Amazon IT.

The very first review of the new Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 FE lens has been posted by Marc Alhadeff on SonyAlphaBlog. And the lens is surprisingly good:

The Viltrox 85mm F1.8 PFU RMBH (265 euros) is an excellent surprise and a superb lens for portrait :

Pros

  • Very good to Excellent sharpness
  • Beautiful color rendition 
  • Very pleasing and soft blurry background ,
  • Very good bokeh,
  • Very low price ,
  • Very good build quality,
  • EXIF transmitted to the body,
  • Aperture control via the body
  • Strong vignetting but corrected via the Lightroom Zeiss Batis 85mm profile
  • Good resistance to flare

Cons

  • Manual lens, so not for fast action portrait
  • CA when facing sun

For 265 euros , highly recommended !

The new Viltrox Full Frame and manual focusing E-mount lenses are now available here:
Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon ES, Amazon IT.
Viltrox 20mm f/1.8 at Amazon US, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon ES, Amazon IT.

New Sigma 56mm f/1.4 reviews by Lenstip, Digidirect, DunnaDidit and Marc Alhadeff

Marc Alhadeff from SonyAlphaBlog tested the new Sigma 56mm f/1.4 and concludes:

“The Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary (430 euros) is (one of) the best lens available on Sony APSC and will do superb job for portraits. It is the equivalent of an 85mm F1.4 on a full frame cameras. During a blind test most people to whom I showed results thought photos were taken on a full frame cameras with an 85mm!”

Get the lens at [shopcountry 77454].

Lenstip also tested the lens and concludes:

It is another excellent optical instrument, offered at a sensible price; it shows that pricing of other producers of mirrorless devices is really over the top.

And here is the video review from Digidirect and Dunna Did It

The new Voigtlander 110mm FE lens is in Stock for the first time

The new and super razor sharp Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 FE lens is in Stock for the first time at BHphoto.

Deals roundup:
Aurora HDR (Click here) for only US$89 and get a bonus of 1 year SmugMug Portfolio plan during this limited time offer.
Til January 1st you save 10% on the new Capture One 12 software (Click here) when using our code “AMBSAR“. Grab it now before it ends!

Up to $225 off on Zeiss Batis-Loxia-Touit E-mount lenses (full list here at BHphoto):
$300 off on the Zeiss Batis 135mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$180 off on the Zeiss Batis 85mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Batis 25mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Batis 18mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$210 off on the Zeiss Loxia 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$140 off on the Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.

Still running: $1,000 rebates on Sony gear at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera and Adorama.